Russia to Complete the Development of Altius Heavy UAV This Year

Russia will complete the development of the Altius heavy unmanned air vehicle (UAV) this year, Yuriy Borisov, the Russian Deputy Defence Minister, announced.

The Altius UAV is jointly developed by the Kazan, Tatarstan-based enterprise, Sokol Design Bureau and the St. Petersburg-based company,Tranzas. The first prototype of the UAV started comprehensive flight trials in last July. The aircraft can carry up to two tons of combat payload.

“I believe that during this year works on the Altius heavy UAV will be completed. The drone can carry up to two tons of combat payload”, Yuriy Borisov said.

The UAV has a length of about 11.6 m and a wingspan of about 28.5 m. It is equipped with two RED A03 / V12 diesel engines, which have a takeoff power of about 500 horsepower. The flying range of the Altius-M is about 10,000 kilometers, the flight duration is up to 48 hours.

The 5-ton aircraft features a long wing design with two under-wing turboprop engines and a V-shaped tail. By its size and weight, it is comparable to the U.S. Air Force (USAF) MQ-9 Reaper remotely piloted aircraft (RPA).

Altius-M is reportedly equipped with a station of optical imagery intelligence with an optoelectronic system, based on a gyro-stabilized platform, while a side-looking position-radar station with an active phased antenna array is mounted in the forebody.